A dedicated volunteer for the Cat’s Protection continued to work tirelessly for the charity until two days before her death.
Patricia Clarke, from Westhill, died on Monday, January 9 aged 53 after having suffered from inoperable oesophageal cancer for almost a year.
But despite her illness the courageous Mrs Clarke refused to give up her duties at the Central Aberdeen branch of the charity and was still working just days before she died.
Last night her family, daughter Stephanie, 23, son Fraser, 25 and husband of Geoff, 61, paid tribute to a “fantastic and caring mum”.
Dr Clarke, 61, said: “Being a GP I was very busy and worked all hours, so she was a stay at home mum, but was always on the phone and working for Cats Protection, and was always running Stephanie and Fraser around everywhere.
“She coped extremely well with the chemotherapy and the radiotherapy, you would not have known by looking at her or even talking to her.
“But the most remarkable thing is it did not interfere in any way with her ability to keep up her work for Cat’s Protection.
“She just never stopped. If you spoke to her on the phone about wanting to foster a cat, for example, you would have no idea that she was in fact seriously unwell.”
All throughout her tough bouts of radio and chemotherapy and frequent trips to hospital, Mrs Clarke – who had worked for the charity since 1989 – always kept her phone on hand to assist people from all across the north-east wishing to foster, adopt, or give away a cat.
Mrs Clarke was diagnosed with cancer in February but was admitted to a high dependency unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary on Friday, January 6 with a cough, which doctors soon discovered was bronchopneumonia.
Her condition worsened over the weekend, and she died on the Monday at 3pm.
Her daughter Stephanie added: “She was my best friend, we did so much together.
“Fraser used to play so much tennis, and mum took him up and down the country to competitions, she was always such a fantastic and caring mum for her kids.
“She was just an amazing woman who will be missed greatly.”
Donations at Mrs Clarke’s funeral raised more than £1,000 for the Cats Protection.
To find out how to support Cats Protection, visit www.cats.org.uk
